1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever-type electrical connector, for example a connector suitable for use in a motor vehicle to connect wire bundles.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is necessary to connect multipolar electrical connector components to each other with a high fitting force. For this purpose a lever-type connector is employed. In a lever-type connector, for example, a lever having a cam groove is rotatably mounted on a male housing, and a follower fitting in the cam groove is provided on a mating female housing. When the two housings are fitted to each other, with the lever at an initial position, the follower enters the entrance of the cam groove. With rotation of the lever, the housings are drawn together, as the follower moving in the cam groove. The construction is intended to permit fitting of the housings to each other with a small applied force, utilizing the action of the lever. This type of lever-type connector is disclosed in JP-A-6-275337. A similar connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,390.
In the above-described lever-type connector, when the lever has rotated to its rotational termination, the two housings are normally fully fitted in each other. As the lever approaches its rotational termination, the fitting resistance becomes large, while the applied force remains low. Thus, there is a danger that the lever-rotating operation is stopped before the housings are fully fitted to each other. As a result, the housings are left in an incompletely fitted state. Further, even if the lever is rotated to its rotational termination, the housings may be left in an incompletely fitted state owing to an error in the manufacture of component parts of the housings. In either case, it may be very difficult for the operator to detect such incomplete fitting.